‘A shockwave’: How UGA’s Charlie Woerner approaches pre-draft process amid COVID-19
Late Monday morning, former Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner walked into an eerily-barren Athens coffee shop and felt weird.
A few days had passed since his lifestyle halted to a standstill, like most Americans, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. This is one of the most-crucial periods of Woerner’s football career, however, as he readies for the chance to be called and signed to an NFL roster.
Everything is derailed. There’s no more routine or workout schedule. Georgia’s weight-room facilities and indoor practice fields are closed. Woerner ended up purchasing a membership at a local Crunch Fitness location. That’s where he puts on his own “pro day” for an audience of a few to get repetitions in a weight room.
“You have to do something to work out,” Woerner said. “If Crunch closes down, I guess we’re headed back to my hometown (Rabun County) to figure something out.”
Woerner finds himself in a precarious spot, much like hundreds of NFL draft-eligible prospects on a quest to reach their dreams. He has invested a lot of energy and time in training and maximizing his performance level. Woerner picked up his life and moved to south Florida for nearly 10 weeks to train at Bommarito Performance Center in Miami, played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles and had made significant progress since bidding farewell to his college career after Georgia’s Sugar Bowl victory.
The coronavirus outbreak has stopped the sports world with leagues suspended, seasons canceled and colleges canceling spring football practices and pro days. The NFL has been no different after every team discontinued travel for scouts — the Atlanta Falcons doing so last week, along with closing its team facility. The NFL Draft, however, remains scheduled for April 23-25 with any related public events in Las Vegas canceled.
These changes come after the federal government declared a national emergency and recommended no gatherings of 10-or-more people. The state of Georgia also declared a public health emergency and Gov. Brian Kemp called for public universities to close their doors through at least March 31. Along with a number of pro sports figures testing positive for coronavirus, these concerns and mandates lead to uncertainty around the pre-draft process.
“It has all happened pretty quick. It’s like a shockwave to see all of this stuff,” Woerner said. “All of the meetings scheduled with NFL teams are done. There were coaches telling me, ‘Hey, we’ll be at your pro day.’ That can’t happen anymore.”
In a normal offseason, Woerner could seek counsel from a former player, coach or agent who has been through adverse times of preparation. But “nobody knows,” he said, how things are handled during an outbreak that has shut down most recreational activities through an entire spring.
Woerner walks away fortunate to have performed at the NFL Combine because he knows of college teammates who didn’t get that chance. Some players who contributed heavily at Georgia — wide receiver Tyler Simmons, linebacker Tae Crowder tight end Eli Wolf, defensive linemen David Marshall, Tyler Clark and Michael Barnett Jr. — now don’t have a chance to perform in front of scouts. Those opportunities make a school’s pro day hold value, and now that’s gone.
Most of those not invited to the combine will have to showcase their tests, 40-yard dashes and jumps in an unconventional manner. The training facilities are compiling video tapes of these performances to send to scouts and team representatives, but it’s not quite the same.
“There’s so much uncertainty in this,” Woerner said. “You like to plan for this, but you can’t.”
Woerner began the Combine frustrated. He had 21 repetitions on bench press, but it wasn’t his ideal start before the big-time events began the next day. He went from discouragement to being pleased by the time he left Lucas Oil Stadium. Woerner recorded a 40-yard-dash of 4.78 seconds, vertical jump of 34.5 inches, a 120-inch broad jump, a time of 7.18 seconds in the 3-cone drill and finished the 20-yard shuttle in 4.46 seconds.
All he can do now is remain patient. Woerner doesn’t care much about a draft grade — although the early disappointment came from the tendency to compare numbers — or what any mock drafts project.
“I’ve been doing my best job and committed everything to the Lord. Why can I be upset with my results?” Woerner said. “I should be happy with whatever result I get.”
His same trust holds true in a time of uncertainty. No one knows what the next few months hold. Woerner’s routine might be wrecked by the implications of COVID-19.
The confidence in his past work, however, remains intact while trying to make an NFL roster.
“I can’t control anything going on or what happens moving forward. All I can do is my best, stay in shape and eat well,” Woerner said. “After you grow in your walk with the Lord, everything is taken care of.”